Defending the Homeland

For most of our lives, Americans have thought about national security as something that happens somewhere else. Wars were fought overseas. Oceans provided distance. The homeland was largely a sanctuary.

That world is changing.

Today, an adversary does not have to cross an ocean or defeat the United States military to cause enormous damage. It can attack a power grid, disrupt a supply chain, penetrate a computer network, manipulate information, or exploit weaknesses in the systems Americans depend on every day.

On October 6, Defending the Homeland will bring together military, government, industry, and academic leaders at Washington University in St. Louis to examine how the threat to the homeland is changing and what it will take to defend the country against it.

The morning will begin with General Glen D. VanHerck, USAF (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). For nearly four years, General VanHerck was responsible for defending North America. He will help set the stage for what is approaching the homeland, how we see and understand those threats, and whether we are prepared to respond.

The conversation will then move closer to home. General Frank J. Grass, USA (Ret.), former Chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Major General Charles D. Hausman, Adjutant General of Missouri, will examine the National Guard's unique role as a force that must be prepared to fight overseas, defend the homeland, respond to crises at home, and remain connected to the communities it serves.

But the military cannot do this alone.

Steve Recca of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, Steve Wolfe of Strategic Marketing Innovations, and Washington University Professor Tarek Ghani will explore the gaps between government, industry, the military, the economy, and the institutions Americans depend on every day. Their conversation will focus on what happens when those systems are disrupted and what it takes to build a country capable of absorbing a shock, responding, and continuing to function.

Finally, Mark Munsell of GeoSTL, former Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, will explore how data, artificial intelligence, satellites, sensors, and geospatial intelligence are changing our ability to see and understand threats to the homeland.

And there is a reason this conversation is happening in Missouri.

Missouri sits at the intersection of many of the capabilities that matter to national security. The state is home to major military installations, intelligence capabilities, defense manufacturing, critical infrastructure, universities, transportation networks, agriculture, energy, and the people who support them. NGA is building its future in St. Louis. Boeing builds combat aircraft here. Whiteman Air Force Base is home to the B-2. Fort Leonard Wood, the Missouri National Guard, research universities, manufacturers, and infrastructure operators across the state all contribute to the national security mission.

Those capabilities should be a source of pride. They also come with responsibility. The systems connect. So do the vulnerabilities.

That is the idea behind Crossroads Confluence. Bring together people who do not normally sit in the same room. Help them understand how their missions connect. Find the seams before someone else exploits them. And then find ways to make Missouri, the Midwest, and ultimately the country stronger.

Students and emerging professionals are especially encouraged to attend. National security needs far more than soldiers and policymakers. It needs engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, manufacturers, cybersecurity professionals, scientists, investors, infrastructure operators, and people willing to take on hard problems.

Info: The Confluence is about more than what happens on stage. Connect with leaders from the military, government, industry and academia, along with students and emerging professionals who will shape the future of national security.

Event venue & nearby stays

Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Dr, St. Louis, United States

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